Difficulties are often encountered when transferring disabled persons from one location to another. Particularly in the case of wheelchair-bound persons, it is often quite difficult to lift and transfer such persons to and from their wheelchair from and to, for example, a motor vehicle. One or more persons are usually required to assist the disabled person.
There have been some inventive efforts directed at alleviating the problems associated with transferring disabled persons from one location to another. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,924, Brigman et al. disclose a disabled person transfer device for transferring a disabled person from a wheelchair to a vehicle. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,891, Reeve et al. disclose a hydraulically powered lift and transport apparatus for lifting and transporting wheelchair bound persons. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,364, Egan discloses a multi-motion lifting and transferring apparatus for assisting persons when entering and exiting a vehicle.
The aforementioned patents disclose devices which allow a disabled person to be lifted from a wheelchair or a bed and transferred to another location. However, the devices disclosed in both of these patents, as well as other known devices, have drawbacks in the areas of cost and complexity which could limit the potential mobility of a disabled individual. For instance, the disabled person transfer device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,924 requires extensive modifications to a vehicle as well as a modified wheelchair for use with the device. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,364 is incompatible with the functional and installation requirements of certain combinations of vehicles and users, in particular when a vehicle has a relatively small door opening and structural obstructions in the exit path of the seat, when users require extra legroom and a rearward motion of the seat prior to turning and exit. Also, the lift and transport apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,891 requires a remotely located hydraulic pump and 120 VAC current to power the various components of the apparatus. The Turny turning automotive seat product manufactured by Bruno Corporation in the United States overcomes certain legroom restrictions with a limited rearward motion prior to exiting, however does not overcome many vehicle structures and other obstructions in the seat is exiting the vehicle. Similar drawbacks exist for other known lifting and transferring devices.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a lifting and transferring apparatus for assisting persons when entering and exiting a vehicle which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings.